Swords & Soldiers Discussion

[Monkeh]

Seeing as there doesn't seem to be a thread about this game yet, I'll just go ahead and make one. ^^'

UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS – August 15, 2008 – The developers of the original version of “de Blob” announce their new game studio Ronimo Games and their first title: Swords & Soldiers.

Ronimo Games is founded by seven developers in Utrecht, the Netherlands. As students the team was responsible for the original pc game “de Blob”. Being an innovative and fun game, “de Blob” became popular on the internet and was eventually picked up by THQ. The publisher bought the IP and will soon release the new version of “de Blob” for Nintendo Wii.
Fabian Akker, one of the co-founders: “de Blob was the eye opener for us, that we can make cool games and function as a good team. The game definitely gave us the opportunity to start our own company”.
The team is developing a new game for Wii Ware: Swords & Soldiers. Swords & Soldiers is a sidescrolling real time strategy game, in which three distinct factions battle for the powers of the gods. The game will feature a single player campaign and a competitive splitscreen multiplayer mode as well as several other game modes. Three screenshots are included with this press release.

Akker: “We always dreamed of designing an RTS and when Wii Ware came out we immediately figured that this was our chance.”
Swords & Soldiers will be the first competitive strategy game on Wii Ware and is scheduled for European, Australian and American release in Q4 2008.

http://www.swordsandsoldiers.com





Trailer!

I think the game looks really awesome. Hopefully it'll even include online multiplayer, but I guess that's just wishful thinking.

What are your thoughts about this game?

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

It looks cute, probably not very deep, but playable and fun. I don't know whether I'll get it yet.

[Adam]

Looks to have some significant potential. Since either Nintendo or Konami is apparently in no hurry to release Gradius Rebirth in America, I'm pinning my hopes on S&S to be the next WW game to rock my socks. The only game that seems similar to me would be Patapon, and the demo of that bored me to tears. I hope S&S turns out to have more depth and less pata. 2-player splitscreen is a huge plus. Everything is more fun with a friend, and it annoys me to no end how developers tend to favor online over local versus modes. Kudos, Ronimo.

[Tull]

This looks like mayhem im def interested.
And me beeing a Norseman, go go the Viking faction :P

[Monkeh]

It's out! And it's great! ^^ I've only just started playing, so I'll probably still have a lot to find out, but I'm already greatly enjoying it.

[SKTTR]

Me too. I'm one one of the last Aztec stages and there's definately some depth and challenge in it. I wonder how I get past that stage, seems to be a balance of carefully taking over the Chinese troops, caging them, and sacrificing the own troops and save enough Mana to get the big boulder rolling.

[Yossarian]

Lots of fun. Highly recommended.

I'm at the last few stages of the Viking campaign and am getting slaughtered by the troops under the control of hypno chilli.

Haven't tried multiplayer yet but playing skirmish was fun. It's just such a great, fun and well presented game.

[Yossarian]

Completed the viking games and now moved onto the Aztec levels. I like the way that the different factions have very different challenges.

The variety makes it interesting especially with the shift of focus from preserving troops to sacrificing them for mana.

[SKTTR]

I've almost beaten the campaign mode.
I'm on the last stage of the Chinese tribe.
Great game, although the 30 stages feel a bit short.
Luckily there are some additional modes and goals to accomplish.

[Yossarian]

Originally Posted by SKTTR

I've almost beaten the campaign mode.
I'm on the last stage of the Chinese tribe.
Great game, although the 30 stages feel a bit short.
Luckily there are some additional modes and goals to accomplish.

Skirmish is still fun though. Have you tried multiplayer yet?

I haven't unlocked most of the challenges yet and I'm rubbish at the beserker run. 67 yards is pitiful.

[SKTTR]

Originally Posted by Yossarian

Skirmish is still fun though. Have you tried multiplayer yet?

I haven't unlocked most of the challenges yet and I'm rubbish at the beserker run. 67 yards is pitiful.

will do soon. first i wanna beat the main mode and then all challenges.
berserker run?

[Yossarian]

Originally Posted by SKTTR

will do soon. first i wanna beat the main mode and then all challenges.
berserker run?

It's one of the first unlockable challenges. Get as far as you can with just one berserker and some carefully chosen spells.

[Yossarian]

Up to level 9 of the Aztec campaign. I get really close to the end and then it all goes very, very wrong. I'm not quite sure what to do. By that point both my money and mana is oh so very low and a boulder is out of the question because of all the defensive towers I've built,

Hmmm...

[SKTTR]

Originally Posted by Yossarian

Up to level 9 of the Aztec campaign. I get really close to the end and then it all goes very, very wrong. I'm not quite sure what to do. By that point both my money and mana is oh so very low and a boulder is out of the question because of all the defensive towers I've built,

Hmmm...

Spoiling that very challenging level for you:

I needed to summon at least 3 boulders to kill all enemies.
Sacrificing for mana and boulder summoning is the key.
Just sacrifice every unit that is about to die anyway.
And of course destroy all enemy towers as soon as possible.
If you kill your own enemies with the boulder, it isn't that bad.
Just make sure you're always have 10 goldminers
and a steady flow of skeleton summoners. (Cheap sacrifices for mana)
If the wizards have one of your giants in eye-contact, sacrifice them.
Sacrifice!!!! And Boulders!!!
That along with the usual strategy works.

And don't waste your mana with cages, poison or hypnotizing.
The flood of enemy hordes is too big and these have little cause.
The boulder kills everything along the road! That's what you'll want to aim for!!

[Yossarian]

Thank you SKTTR for that informative strategy. I finally started sacrificing troops for mana and managed to rustle up some boulders. It was still a long battle but I finally managed it!

Now the Aztec campaign is dusted and I'm onto level 3 of the Chinese campaign. Escort missions are a pain but the variety is welcome.

I really like the way that each tribe has its own strengths and weaknesses and that really changes the strategy. It's also good for its anti spam measures to prevent the abuse of the really powerful spells.

I hope my brother-in-law likes this as I'm keen to have a two player battle.

[SKTTR]

I beaten the main mode a few days ago.

Yesterday I had some 2-player-versus-matches and it seems the 3 different tribes are balanced very well. That were some exciting and looong matches.

[tantrumario]

I envy all you Europeans. I desperatly want this game in the US.

[Yossarian]

Originally Posted by tantrumario

I envy all you Europeans. I desperatly want this game in the US.

http://nintendo.joystiq.com/2009/06/...merica-june-8/

Ta da!

[Refa]

The game looks cool, and I'm definetely interested. I don't trust N4L reviews, so could someone (please) post a mini review, explaining the gameplay, and what's good/bad about the game? Of course, if it's too much trouble, I understand, being quite lazy myself.

[Yossarian]

Originally Posted by Refa

The game looks cool, and I'm definetely interested. I don't trust N4L reviews, so could someone (please) post a mini review, explaining the gameplay, and what's good/bad about the game? Of course, if it's too much trouble, I understand, being quite lazy myself.

As requested, mini review. Super fantastich.

THE END.

I really enjoy this game. It's a wonderful, fun and charming RTS game with a meaty campaign mode of 10 levels per tribe, each tribe having its own strengths and weaknesses and requiring a change of appraoch accordingly.

Broadly Vikings are good for brute force, Aztecs have more traps and sneaky attacks and the Chinese have types that can make a mockery of your carefully built towers.

The basic flow is get gold and use that gold to buy different fighters, spells and towers. You don't control the fighters so instead you use your spells and careful troop management to ensure victory.

In a skirmish with the computer or another player (no online) you may have to rethink your tactics as hording gold will do you no good if the other player sends a pack of fighters and you have no one to defend your gold miners,

The game also has different difficulty levels (in the form of game speeds), challenges and an achievement system.

It has so much to offer and is a worthwhile download.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

I'll definitely be getting this next week.

[SKTTR]

Mini review? Well, what do you want to know what you can't find elsewhere?

30 main stages, 25 challenges, 3 extra-stages, 3 maps for 2 players, 3 different tribes with about 15-20 unique units and spells.

options: 3 difficulties, 3 speeds, you can avoid some stages (just like in world of goo, not recommended, only use it when you really can't beat a stage)

the story is funny.

the gameplay: you start from one end of the map and must defeat your enemy on the other side of the map.

in the beginning you have time to buy goldminers, they automatically run to the nearest goldmine and take the gold back to your base. you have also mana that rises +1 by every second.

the first thing you do is selecting the units, spells and special attacks to learn. everything needs a certain amount of time and gold to be ready for use. when you learned something you can produce it.

if you produced fighting units they spawn at your home base and go for the enemy base, fighting all enemies on their way. you need gold for making fighting units and other things like towers.
if you produced a spell or special attack, just pick a place or unit where you want it to occur. you need mana for this.
("arrow rain" comes down from the sky. "healing" cures all the troops nearby etc.)

not all the levels are like this. you have all kinds of different goals.
there's "defend your base for 5 minutes" or "beat the stage with just a selection of units/you cant buy anymore"... etc.

[tantrumario]

Originally Posted by yossarian

http://nintendo.joystiq.com/2009/06/...merica-june-8/

ta da!

thank you!!!! Yeah!!!!

[Yossarian]

*BUMP*

I've noticed a lot of the NA members of the forum have got this game now and I'm interested to know what they think of it.

[hansolo350]

I love this game. Right now, in my opinion, this is tied with Mega Man 9 and World of Goo for best WiiWare game. I'm currently on the last level of the Chinese campaign and I'm having so difficulty beating it. I love playing as the Vikings and the Chinese but I can't stand playing as the Aztec because of their low mana regeneration and how you constantly need to sacrifice guys on the front lines.

[Yossarian]

Originally Posted by hansolo350

I love this game. Right now, in my opinion, this is tied with Mega Man 9 and World of Goo for best WiiWare game. I'm currently on the last level of the Chinese campaign and I'm having so difficulty beating it. I love playing as the Vikings and the Chinese but I can't stand playing as the Aztec because of their low mana regeneration and how you constantly need to sacrifice guys on the front lines.

This pleases me. I was so won over by the interview on the Nintendo Channel this was an instant download choice for me. It's obvious that, much like World of Goo, a great deal of thought and love has gone into every aspect of this game. The developers' blog made interesting reading.

I hated the Aztec missions until I started treating troops like mana fodder and making good use of the necromancers so the sacrifices don't decimate your front line.

Warning: Spoiler Below.

The last level of the Chinese campaign foxed me too. It's a question of using the dragon on the right characters and at the beginning using the stone men as a barrier against the tide of corpses.

[hansolo350]

Originally Posted by Yossarian

This pleases me. I was so won over by the interview on the Nintendo Channel this was an instant download choice for me. It's obvious that, much like World of Goo, a great deal of thought and love has gone into every aspect of this game. The developers' blog made interesting reading.

I hated the Aztec missions until I started treating troops like mana fodder and making good use of the necromancers so the sacrifices don't decimate your front line.

Warning: Spoiler Below.

The last level of the Chinese campaign foxed me too. It's a question of using the dragon on the right characters and at the beginning using the stone men as a barrier against the tide of corpses.

I just beat the Chinese campaign. The hardest part of the level was right at the beginning, everything after that was surpisingly simple. I too love how much detail they put into everything from the humourous writing in the story to the great art work and graphics.

[Betagam7]

I got gifted this game in the Secret Santa and played the first four Viking levels this morning. So far it feels like a lot of fun and very different from the other Wii games I have.

Looking forward to unlocking the other campaigns. There seems to be a decent amount of stuff to do with the extra challenge modes and achievments to unlock.

[SKTTR]

Swords & Soldiers ... what a generic name..
Swords? Where are they? Soldiers? Haven't seen any.
But the games senseless title is fortunately the worst thing.

There's content, multiplayer, achievements, story, good graphics and fitting music. Indeed it's unique, and also very easy to learn and control, and it's addicting and very fun if you're into 2D-sidescroll-RTS-games.

It's very polished and even the translation (at least to German) is great.

Maybe the best 1000pts I spent for a WiiWare game. I need to get back to it to get all achievements.

Personally, I like other genres more, but this is almost flawless.

9/10

[Betagam7]

Originally Posted by SKTTR

Swords & Soldiers ... what a generic name..
Swords? Where are they? Soldiers? Haven't seen any.
But the games senseless title is fortunately the worst thing.

Yeah you're right. I never considred it but given how much individuality and humour the game seems to be full of it does appear to be a stupidly generic, not particularly descriptive name.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

I'm sure the name choice was a strategic marketing decision. Wonky sense of humour is fine, but sometimes games that are named along their wonky sense of humour don't reach as wide an audience as they would like. So make the game great to ensure good reviews and word of mouth, then give it a generic name that's appealing to a certain wider demographic ("Hey, sword and soldiers! It must have some RPGish or strategy elements in there!") to mop up a few extra sales off the fence.

[Betagam7]

Originally Posted by Jogurt the Yogurt

I'm sure the name choice was a strategic marketing decision. Wonky sense of humour is fine, but sometimes games that are named along their wonky sense of humour don't reach as wide an audience as they would like. So make the game great to ensure good reviews and word of mouth, then give it a generic name that's appealing to a certain wider demographic ("Hey, sword and soldiers! It must have some RPGish or strategy elements in there!") to mop up a few extra sales off the fence.

Sadly, until now my sale remained unmopped and my fence untouched as a result of this game not being called "wonky Wiiware viking barbecue battle"

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Originally Posted by Betagam7

Sadly, until now my sale remained unmopped and my fence untouched as a result of this game not being called "wonky Wiiware viking barbecue battle"

That's because you're smarter than the average fence-sitter. Or weirder, at least.

[Betagam7]

I'm really liking this game. Did a few more missions tonight with the vikings and a crack at the interesting challenge I unlocked (a solo viking against the horde). The only other similar title I've played on Wii was FF: MLAADL demo and it didn't seem to have the same simple fun factor as this one.

Definately one I'd recommend to those who are looking for something a bit quirky and different from their RTS.

[gaga64]

Excellent! I'm really glad you're enjoying it.

I recently finished up the Aztec campaign, and it does get very tricky the further in you get. But it's a sure sign of a good game that I kept wanting to persist on the harder stages.

[Betagam7]

Originally Posted by gaga64

Excellent! I'm really glad you're enjoying it.

I recently finished up the Aztec campaign, and it does get very tricky the further in you get. But it's a sure sign of a good game that I kept wanting to persist on the harder stages.

I really like the game's sense of humour. I also find it funny that the vikings yell "Skol" when they are born as in Swedish that is basically the equivilent of the English word "Cheers" as well as the name of that horrible lager that Hagar the Horrible used to endorse

[Yasume]

This game is so much fun! I beat it a few months ago and I'm looking forward to complete it. The only thing that this game is lacking is online play, which would have been awesome because the game is really balanced. They really need to add it if they are going to make a sequel.

[Betagam7]

Originally Posted by Yasume

This game is so much fun! I beat it a few months ago and I'm looking forward to complete it. The only thing that this game is lacking is online play, which would have been awesome because the game is really balanced. They really need to add it if they are going to make a sequel.

I agree it is rather odd that they left out Online play. The fact that that the normal game modes are all specifically labelled "Single Player" this or that makes me think that online was planned and then dropped for some reason...or is their a multiplayer mode that I'm missing...and if so how does it work?

I've been playing this game again recently and I really can't recommend it enough. Even though I'm now close to beating it there is so much locked away in it that I'll be back for more.

A sequel would be warmly welcomed.

[hansolo350]

There is a multiplayer mode in the game but it is not online.

[Betagam7]

Originally Posted by hansolo350

There is a multiplayer mode in the game but it is not online.

Really, how does it work, split screen? I can't see how the gameplay would work.

I think I'm on the last level of the chinese campaign now, it's mega hard although I played it for an hour before I figured out that i was meant to be wiping out the workers not the wave after wave of enemies.